Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) Pham Tan Cong had a working session and exchange with Spanish Ambassador to Vietnam Carmen Cano de Lasala on enhancing cooperation opportunities between the business communities of the two countries, thereby promoting economic, commercial, and investment cooperation between the two nations.

According to the Spanish Ambassador, she highly appreciates the rapid development of the Vietnamese economy in recent times; she also noted that there are still plenty of potentials for expanding cooperation in the future. Particularly, 2024 marks the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the "Strategic Partnership towards the Future" framework between Vietnam and Spain (2009 - 2024). With a solid foundation of relations, the Ambassador believes this is an opportune time to further tighten cooperation, elevating the relationship to new heights commensurate with its potential.

In terms of economic cooperation, Spain is one of Vietnam's potential partners in the EU, and it was the first country to ratify the EVIPA Agreement. Therefore, Spanish enterprises highly value the market potential of Vietnam as well as the diversification of its economy.

Especially, after the COVID-19 pandemic, Spanish enterprises are actively seeking new potential markets instead of relying on a specific supply market, making Vietnam a more attractive destination in the future.

Ambassador Carmen Cano de Lasala emphasized that Spanish enterprises are eager to cooperate with Vietnam, especially in key areas including infrastructure, renewable energy, tourism, agriculture, high technology, textiles, and green economy.

The Ambassador stated that these are areas where Spanish enterprises have strengths, are ready to cooperate in investment, share experiences, and support Vietnam in the development of high-speed railways, energy conversion, and tourism.

Ambassador Carmen Cano de Lasala hopes that VCCI will enhance coordination with the Embassy to propose investment cooperation opportunities in the market for Spanish enterprises, thereby opening up more investment opportunities in Vietnam.

Chairman of VCCI Holds Meeting with Spanish Ambassador to Vietnam Carmen Cano de Lasala

In agreement with the insights shared by the Spanish Ambassador, the Chairman of VCCI stated that bilateral trade and investment cooperation has seen positive growth, especially after the Vietnam - EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) took effect.

Providing further information to the Ambassador, according to the Chairman of VCCI, Vietnam's economy is currently experiencing good growth momentum; alongside, Vietnam is aiming to become a developed, high-income country by 2045. This opens up significant opportunities for foreign enterprises, including Spanish businesses, to tap into the market potential as consumer demand rises.

Mr. Pham Tan Cong added that Vietnam is also prioritizing investment attraction in sectors such as agriculture, high technology, green economy, energy transition... With their strengths, Spanish enterprises can fully expand opportunities for potential investment and business cooperation in Vietnam.

Spain is currently Vietnam's 8th largest trading partner in the EU, and Vietnam is Spain's largest trading partner in ASEAN. Through cooperation between the business communities of the two countries, Vietnamese enterprises can gain deeper access to the EU market, and conversely, Spanish enterprises can introduce products to the ASEAN market.

To strengthen multifaceted cooperation between the two countries in the future, the Chairman of VCCI proposed that both sides enhance further exchange of market information, partners, and potential opportunities to enhance mutual understanding among the business communities of both sides.

As a representative of over 200,000 enterprises in Vietnam, the Chairman of VCCI affirmed that VCCI will always accompany and support Spanish enterprises coming to Vietnam to seek investment and business opportunities. With the strengths and dynamism of both economies, the economic cooperation between Vietnam and Spain still has a lot of potential for further robust development in the time ahead.

According to Cam Anh (Business Forum Magazine).